Craig Lewis Named Chief Economist at SEC

Mary Schapiro, Chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission, named Owen professor Craig Lewis the SEC’s new Chief Economist and Director of the Division of Risk, Strategy and Financial Innovation (Risk Fin) this past May. Lewis, the Madison S. Wigginton Professor of Management in Finance, had been working on sabbatical at the SEC since January 2010.

“I am honored that Chairman Shapiro has offered me the opportunity to lead the division and the SEC’s economists at this critical juncture,” Lewis says. “I look forward to fostering durable new analytic models that will promote efficient and effective work throughout the agency, from rule writing through enforcement.”

Lewis joined the Owen faculty in 1986 and has since been widely published on a range of financial issues. His interests and current research topics include stock and futures markets, margin adequacy, corporate earnings management, corporate financial policy, executive compensation, selective disclosure, and herd behavior by equity analysts.

“This is a great opportunity for Craig, a highly respected professor and researcher here at Vanderbilt who’s deeply admired by his students,” says Jim Bradford, Dean of the Owen School. “His appointment as Chief Economist at the SEC exemplifies a long tradition of high-caliber, real-world work that has earned the finance faculty here a place of prestige among business schools.”

Risk Fin, created by the SEC in September 2009 to help identify market risks and trends in the wake of the financial crisis, was the SEC’s first new division in 37 years. It provides sophisticated, interdisciplinary analysis across the entire spectrum of SEC activities, including policymaking, rulemaking, enforcement and examinations. In addition to this role as an agency think tank, Risk Fin was created to help break down silos that compartmentalized the SEC’s institutional expertise.

Lewis’ position with the SEC is a two-year appointment. He is currently on a leave of absence from Vanderbilt.

Craig Lewis

Mary Schapiro, Chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission, named Owen professor Craig Lewis the SEC’s new Chief Economist and Director of the Division of Risk, Strategy and Financial Innovation (Risk Fin) this past May. Lewis, the Madison S. Wigginton Professor of Management in Finance, had been working on sabbatical at the SEC since January 2010.

“I am honored that Chairman Shapiro has offered me the opportunity to lead the division and the SEC’s economists at this critical juncture,” Lewis says. “I look forward to fostering durable new analytic models that will promote efficient and effective work throughout the agency, from rule-writing through enforcement.”

Lewis joined the Owen faculty in 1986 and has since been widely published on a range of financial issues. His interests and current research topics include stock and futures markets, margin adequacy, corporate earnings management, corporate financial policy, executive compensation, selective disclosure, and herd behavior by equity analysts.

“This is a great opportunity for Craig, a highly respected professor and researcher here at Vanderbilt who’s deeply admired by his students,” says Jim Bradford, Dean of the Owen School. “His appointment as Chief Economist at the SEC exemplifies a long tradition of high-caliber, real-world work that has earned the finance faculty here a place of prestige among business schools.”

Risk Fin, created by the SEC in September 2009 to help identify market risks and trends in the wake of the financial crisis, was the SEC’s first new division in 37 years. It provides sophisticated, interdisciplinary analysis across the entire spectrum of SEC activities, including policymaking, rulemaking, enforcement and examinations. In addition to this role as an agency think tank, Risk Fin was created to help break down silos that compartmentalized the SEC’s institutional expertise.

Lewis’ position with the SEC is a two-year appointment. He is currently on a leave of absence from Vanderbilt.